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State Senator Diane Allen (R- Burlington/Camden) has signed on as a cosponsor to S-2250, legislation repealing New Jersey’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). At a news conference announcing her support for the legislation, Senator Allen stressed the negative impact RGGI has on job creation, energy affordability, and taxes.

“New Jersey residents cannot afford this initiative- both in terms of the adverse impact it has on job creation as well as the cost to consumers,” said Allen. “RGGI is effectively a tax placed on a service essential to families and businesses, at a time when our economy can least tolerate it. For the sake of the 9.3% of New Jersey workers who are unemployed and the countless families who are struggling mightily to get by in this recession, we need to repeal the law.”

Senator Allen said she is particularly concerned about small businesses that are most vulnerable to increases in overhead costs. “As a former president and CEO of a small business, I can attest to the impact rising energy rates have on an employer’s ability to add jobs and expand,” she said. “Just ask Ocean Spray, which last week announced it will be moving its Bordentown processing facility to Pennsylvania, in large measure due to the costs associated with RGGI.”

Senator Allen was joined by Senator Michael J. Doherty (R- Warren/Hunterdon), prime sponsor of the repeal legislation, and Steve Lonegan, state director of Americans for Prosperity. Senator Doherty’s legislation enjoys bipartisan support from 44 legislative sponsors and co-sponsors.

“The cost of living in New Jersey is too high already,” Allen stated. “State government should be working to make our state more affordable, not less.”